David Patient honoured for his activism
"Don't be sad or mourn me. Rejoice in my life," he writes in final, moving post.
MBOMBELA – “The man put up a hell of a fight, but he went on his own terms. It was time.”
So says Peta King, a close friend of the world-famous HIV/Aids activist, David Ross Patient who died on Friday. David had lived with the disease for 34 years.
He was probably the world’s longest-surviving HIV/Aids sufferer, having been diagnosed when there were no drug regimens to treat it.
His activism and soon made him the face and voice of HIV/Aids. In the end, he had a heart attack.
King had known David and his longtime partner, Neil Orr, for 18 years. They met when she attended one of their workshops. It was the same visit that saw the couple fall in love with the Lowveld.
They bought a farm in the Fredenheim area where they lived until last year, when David’s health compelled them to move to Pretoria, closer to family and better healthcare facilities.
After they became resident in the Lowveld, David became a regular on King’s radio show on the then Radio Safari. “Our friendship grew from there.”
For instance, a positive health series was translated into all the official languages. “They got their hands dirty. They had a passion to help people who had nothing,” King says of their work. “Their work absolutely saved a lot of people’s lives.”
“They were a force to be reckoned with. They worked and lived together. They had an incredible bond.”
King remembers David as someone without any airs and graces. “He would tell you exactly what he was thinking. He was also incredibly giving and gentle. If he could help, he would.
“He had a beautiful soul.”
She added that he had a colourful past, and could relay stories about it that was absolutely hysterical. “Nobody on the planet could make me laugh the way he did.”
After his passing, Orr posted a final message from David on his Facebook page.
Read it here
He certainly made a massive impression on people. Locals who were fortunate to have met or known him, inundated his page with messages of condolences. Not all of them knew him well, but he impacted them nonetheless.
David Dee said he only met David a handful of times during presentations or award ceremonies. “The first was when I… performed before he took the stage. He was so interested in my work (entertaining with magic) and spent almost all his time that evening questioning me on my interest and uses of magic to get people to forget their illnesses and problems.
“He was a man who was interested in others, not focused on himself unless it was for the good of others. I will always remember him for his honesty and friendliness.”
Read David’s sometimes provocative and always inspirational writings on his website.
